How low can you go? Support minimimum wage increase in Bangladesh
Thursday, 21 September 2006 08:54
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{mosimage}Sign on today and support a monthly minimum wage of Tk3000 (£25.76) for Bangladeshi garment workers.
Garment workers in Bangladesh have been participating in rallies and demonstrations across Bangladesh since the beginning of September to protest against the failure of the Bangladesh Wage Board to come up with an acceptable minimum wage for the garment industry. Labour Behind the Label supports the workers in their demand for a wage that allows them to live in dignity. Your help is needed to pressure the Bangladesh garment factory associations to set a wage that will genuinely improve the lives of these workers and to push the brands buying from Bangladesh to support this demand and put it into practice
Background - Minimum wage currently just £7.40 per month
The current minimum wage for garment workers, fixed around twelve years ago, stands at 930 Bangladeshi Taka (Tk), equivalent to just or £7.40 per month - one of the lowest in the world. Whilst garment workers and their supporters have been demanding wage increases for several years it wasn't until May 2006, following the outbreak of massive labour unrest by workers unable to tolerate the extreme exploitative conditions any longer, that any kind of action was taken by the Bangladesh government.
One of the main demands of the protesting workers was for immediate action on the issue of wages. In response to this the Bangladesh government announced the formation of a tripartite Minimum Wage Board for the garment industry on May 31st 2006. The Wage Board, which includes representatives of the garment workers' unions and the Bangladeshi garment industry, first met on June 12th 2006 and was asked to recommend a new pay scale for garment workers within 90 days.
Neither the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers' Association (BGMEA) nor workers' representatives on the Wage Board signed a proposal sent by the Board on September 12th to the government to set the wage rate for entry level workers at Tk1,604 (£12.70) in the first year up to June 30 leading to Tk2,117 (16.75) in the third year starting from July, 2008. The workers' representative felt this rate was too low, but the BGMEA felt it is too high. The Wage Board proposal must be kept in circulation until September 28th for opinions and objectives, and the government will take another month for its approval.
Workers are demanding Tk3,000 (£25.76) as the minimum wage for entry-level workers. The CCC has compiled five key arguments as to why we believe a wage increase to Tk 3000 is absolutely essential.
- The garment industry has grown enormously since 1994 when the current minimum wage was set and so should the minimum wage.
- In real terms, wages have gone down since the last minimum wage was set twelve years ago.
- The current minimum wage does not even cover the cost of food for one person.
- The proposed wage doesn't meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and therefore violates basic human rights.
- Increasing the minimum wage by itself won't make the Bangladeshi garment industry un-competitive
Find more explanation of these arguments on the following page.
